Proximal migration and subcutaneous coiling of a peritoneal catheter: report of two cases

Childs Nerv Syst. 1995 Jul;11(7):428-31. doi: 10.1007/BF00717412.

Abstract

The authors report two cases with a rare complication of ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The peritoneal catheters migrated upward to the scalp and to the clavicular area. In one case, the whole length of the peritoneal catheter was pulled out from the peritoneal cavity and was coiled subcutaneously. Both of the patients had the habit of head rotation and one of the patients had a history of subcutaneous fluid collection at the site of coiling. At surgery, whitish inflammatory granulation tissues were noted around the catheter in both cases, which might act as an anchoring point for the "windlass effect".

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child, Preschool
  • Clavicle / diagnostic imaging
  • Clavicle / surgery
  • Equipment Failure
  • Female
  • Foreign-Body Migration / diagnostic imaging*
  • Foreign-Body Migration / surgery
  • Humans
  • Hydrocephalus / diagnostic imaging
  • Hydrocephalus / surgery*
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Postoperative Complications / diagnostic imaging*
  • Postoperative Complications / surgery
  • Radiography
  • Reoperation
  • Scalp / diagnostic imaging
  • Scalp / surgery
  • Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt / instrumentation*